I'm not sure this is for you, if I've screwed something up within zenedit or not :-(

When I was using my TDW10 the volume contro knob with #7 worked fine; I was able to switch kits on the TD10 using my +/- pads and left arrow to maintain; I never did get the sustain switch to operate as a cymbal choke, not sure if that's possible.

Now that I am finally using my TDW20, I seem to have somehow lost abilities #1 and #2! No volume control, no switching out kits. This when I am using my UP at CH#9. If I switch my UP CH to #16 (which was set up for the TD10), even though I am using my TD20, they both seem to work. What did I screw up? :-)

I've looked at both the zendrum and zenedit, the answer escapes me.

Thanks for helping if you can.

And another unrelated question: Are there any samples of SD2 or EZ drummer that are limited kits etc., but are free to download and try out? I bought some VEX packs for my TD20 and they really sound great. But most folks that use they SD/BFD software kits say there is no comparison. I've shied away because of fear of a PC freeze during a performance. But you have used both, and perhaps can shed some light on that for me. I'd really like to get the best possible sound with no fear factor. I don't hear anyone complaining that the PC / software route is casuing issues as in the past. Portability is also a concern, but you are giggng if I recall, and you find it pretty easy?

As for free trials, I'm not sure - look on the websites.I've taken a laptop with VSTs to band practice once to use with the Zendrum. Unfortunately, it's the one time I have a blue screen of death on my Windows laptop! Luckily, I had a module with me, so rather than stuff around, I just plugged into the module.that said, it's the only time my computer has crashed using VSTs.From what I've heard, Macs are much more dependable (I have a desktop Mac that defies this view - it has had a main board and hard drive replaced in its first year, but that's another story). My daughters both have MacBook pros that are fantastic - although the newer one, running Lion, does have compatibility issues with lots of devices, even our printer.

When I was using my TDW10 the volume contro knob with #7 worked fine; I was able to switch kits on the TD10 using my +/- pads and left arrow to maintain;Now that I am finally using my TDW20, I seem to have somehow lost abilities #1 and #2! No volume control, no switching out kits. This when I am using my UP at CH#9. If I switch my UP CH to #16 (which was set up for the TD10), even though I am using my TD20, they both seem to work. What did I screw up? :-)

I can't speak to the TD-10 but I used my Zendrum with both the TD-20 and it's expanded TDW20 form and using CC#7 for volume worked fine. One thing I would do is make sure the knob is calibrated. The current version of ZenEdit doesn't expose all the calibration features so you'll need to perform it manually, following the steps in your Zendrum user manual. Once you've performed that step, be sure to dump the sysex and import it back into your ZenEdit project so that it has the proper settings, otherwise the next time you upload sysex to your Zendrum it will overwrite the calibration info.

btw, ZenEdit 2 does expose all the calibration functionality. Here's a sneak peek:

And another unrelated question: Are there any samples of SD2 or EZ drummer that are limited kits etc., but are free to download and try out? I bought some VEX packs for my TD20 and they really sound great. But most folks that use they SD/BFD software kits say there is no comparison. I've shied away because of fear of a PC freeze during a performance. But you have used both, and perhaps can shed some light on that for me. I'd really like to get the best possible sound with no fear factor. I don't hear anyone complaining that the PC / software route is casuing issues as in the past. Portability is also a concern, but you are giggng if I recall, and you find it pretty easy?

Some VSTs are more power hungry than others and require a more performant PC. I don't hesitate to gig out with my laptop rig, however I've tuned the living daylights out of it to get both the latency down to near zero and to ensure it will be stable and not glitchy. I won't try to kid you, this was not an easy process. All the information is available online, however it's not at all easy for a casual computer user to grok.

Some key points if you're going to build such a rig:1) Get solid state drive(s). In my case I have two internally. One is smaller and slightly slower, and stores my OS, apps, etc. The other is more spacious and performant (and more expensive) and stores all my BFD2 samples.2) Go big. 64-bit and as much ram as your machine can handle. Look for low latency ram too.3) Be damn sure your notebook battery is functioning. The last thing you need is the bass player tripping over a cord and crashing your machine. I went as far and putting a 1U UPS in my own system.4) Turn off your wifi, bluetooth, etc in the BIOS. Most of these chipsets get priority status over Firewire and USB. They are the best way to ensure latency as any activity will generate DPCs (deferred procedure calls). Some optical drives have the same issue so you might disable that when you're not needing it either. You'll also want to tweak any SpeedStep or Hyperthreading settings in the BIOS, though off the top of my head I do not recall the specifics.5) Within Windows, you'll want to disable every non-essential service you can. One of the big ones is .net which tries to precompile classes when it thinks the machine is not busy, which by Murphy's Law will be during a performance.6) Antivirus/malware software is right out. You can turn those on manually when you need them (i.e. when you're re enabling the network connection). Same for your firewall. Basically anything that is not essential but would otherwise run in the background.7) If you still have latency or audio glitches, look for one of the (usually) free tools online for determining where the latency is occurring.8 ) Never hibernate the machine. Just do a cold shut down. Those drives are plenty fast and you won't even notice. They'll last much longer too.

I had to invest a lot of time upfront to get my rig stable, but the end result is one that is about the same size as my old TD-20 one but with light-years better sound. I never looked back.

One final note, if all of this is too daunting then you might also seriously consider the Zendrum Drive. When I was messing around with it I never once saw any audio glitches and it was a breeze to use. Much of this is probably due to it running Battery 3 though, which is far less resource intensive.

Darin, thanks for the detailed post. I gave the ZDD a lot of consideration. End result was it seemed limited in my ability to tweak the sounds if I needed to, although I am sure most of the sounds are far superior to what I have now. It just seemed like I was getting rid of one module to use another, which was more technically limited but much better sounding; a trade off between these 2 important points essentially caused me to back up and reconsider the potential of using a VST and DAW with a PC as you have done. Yep, it requires a lot of hardware, hooked up properly; a lot of software, tweaked to my personal tastes; and, a huge learning curve. But hell, so did the Zendrum! I am finally.... after 7 years owning, and over 5 playing steadily... getting my own patterns established! It has now become almost intuitive, so I "know" where I need a pad to sound like a particular drum to fit my particular style of playing. Now that's a HUGE learning curve, or I am a sloooooow learner, lol! I could certainly start with the program and eventually bring it into regular use after I get all the gear and get all the bugs straightened out. It appears that there is such a significant difference in the sounds, it will be well worth the effort.

As to the trouble I am having... I got the kits changing for me last night. Don't know what I did, but suddenly it was working. I still cannot get the volume control working, but I will calibrate it, then try and reset it. For some reason last night I had communication problems between zenedit and my zendrum. I made changes in Zenedit, and exported them thru Midi-Ox, but they never "took". I could see the signal was being received, and I did a save after, but no joy. I had to go into my Zendrum and physically make the change. First time that has happened, and I suspect it had to do with how I set thing up, not the program. Usually that's the issue..me! :-)

Thanks again,

RandADDENDUM: Yep, as suspected, I have met the enemy, and it is me! I must have changed that ^#$!@ volume knob CC# at least 5 or 6 times. Did I save it once? oh, wait, what?? Why would I possibly want to do that! Grrrrrrrr............. All set.... I did a save, it works fine. My head is muddled, I have been home with a virus all week, plenty of time to dig deep into the settings, but also not allowing me to function at 100% ..... sorry, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!